Vithya Ramraj Smashes PT Usha’s 42-Year-Old 400m Hurdles Record to Take Asian Games Bronze

Vithya Ramraj has ended one of the longest-standing records in Indian athletics. The 28-year-old clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Monday, shattering the 55.42-second national record set by legendary sprinter PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

According to IANS, Ramraj trimmed 0.67 seconds off a mark that had stood for 42 years. She had come agonisingly close at the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, where she equalled Usha’s time while also taking bronze, but Monday’s run in Nagoya finally moved the record books outright.

The gold went to the UAE’s Mariam Kareem, who set a new Games record of 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems took silver with a personal best of 54.58 seconds. India’s Anu Raghavan also ran a personal best, 55.88 seconds, to finish fifth.

The medal was Ramraj’s second of the Games — she had anchored India to silver in the mixed 4x400m relay earlier in the week — and her second successive Asian Games bronze in the event.

PT Usha, now president of the Indian Olympic Association, called it an “incredibly special moment”, saying records are meant to be broken and that seeing the next generation surpass old milestones was a moment of pride for the sport.

Sources:

IANS

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